


your voice is driving me, driving me insane

by veel



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cara | CaptainPuffy and Jschlatt are Siblings, High School, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jschlatt and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Modern Era, Older Siblings Wilber Soot and Technoblade, Sad Wilbur Soot, Soft TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot Angst, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Worried Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), ages are SINCERELY fucked lmao, ages are wack, sorry about that DKLSFFJKDL, that second one is pretty minor rn but it might be more present in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29663298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veel/pseuds/veel
Summary: wilbur moves in with phil, tommy, n techno because phil's his foster parent :] oh theres also a lot of angst so please check the tags
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt, Alexis | Quackity & Wilbur Soot, Boffy & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Charlie Dalgleish & Ted Nivison, Charlie Dalgleish & Wilbur Soot, Clay | Dream & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Connor | ConnorEatsPants & Jschlatt, Connor | ConnorEatsPants & Wilbur Soot, Grunkkkk | GrunksPromise & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Ty | IAmTy, Jschlatt & Ted Nivison, Jschlatt & Wilbur Soot, Minx | JustAMinx & Niki | Nihachu, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 27
Kudos: 223
Collections: modern au pog





	1. Chapter 1

Wilbur hasn’t even been in this new home for a day, but he already hates it. There are two others kids here, one older than him and one younger. His foster father is kind, but he’s sort of distant. He pays more attention to the older son, Technoblade.

Technoblade is cold, Wilbur realizes immediately. He tends to keep to himself and prefers to observe. He doesn’t seem to enjoy Wilbur’s company. That might be a problem considering how clingy Wilbur can be.

Tommy is the other kid. He’s about three years younger than Wilbur. He’s loud and annoying. Wilbur decides straight off the bat that he doesn’t like Tommy. Tommy might just be clingier than Wilbur, which could be a good thing, but it isn't. He’s obnoxious and reckless. Wilbur realizes that he’s not going to fit in here.

Phil is his foster father. He’s compassionate, but distant. He tends to look at Techno more than Tommy which might explain why Tommy is so eager to get Wilbur’s attention. Phil’s an optimist and thinks that with a little love and care, Wilbur will fit right in. Wilbur begs to differ, however.

They’re in the car now. It’s Wilbur’s first day at the new school. He’s already been given a tour, met the teachers, and handed a schedule. He’s well-aware of where he’s supposed to be going. Yet, he can’t help but feel a little nervous. What if he gets lost? Bullied? Sees a kid from and old home? There are many possibilities, but Wilbur know not to verbalize them. Especially when someone asks why he’s worried, he’s learned that from past homes; lie when spoken to.

Tommy’s chattering away to Techno and Phil. Wilbur has his headphones on and is blasting his music, so he can’t quite hear them. Crywank does wonders in regards of tuning people out.

Wilbur doesn’t realize that he’s squeezing his backpack until he looks down at his knuckles turning white with the force he’s gripping. He doesn’t let go, though. He moves one of his headphones off his ear to listen in on the conversation.

“-ubbo! I think he’ll like Wilbur,” Tommy says with a toothy grin. Wilbur rolls his eyes. He doesn’t want to meet any of Tommy’s friends. Whoever this ‘Ubbo’ guy was, Wilbur didn’t particularly want to meet him.

He slips his headphones completely off, pausing the playlist he was listening to on his phone. He shoves them into his backpack and puts his phone in the back pocket of his jeans. Techno shoots him an annoyed glance, but otherwise says nothing. Wilbur looks out the window. They’re here.

Wilbur, Techno, and Tommy get out of the car. Wilbur slings his backpack over his shoulder. Phil shouts something to them, but Wilbur doesn’t catch it. He’s already walking away.

He keeps his head down to avoid eye contact. He doesn’t want to make friends right now. He’d prefer to be alone with his thoughts. He’d especially like to avoid becoming friends with the douchebag behind him that won’t stop stepping on the backs of his shoes. 

Wilbur turns around and meets the strangers eyes. “Will you fucking quit it? Walk on your own shoes.” The stranger is the same height as Tommy, but he seems much older. He has mutton chops and a mustache. It suits his face, but Wilbur can’t think to compliment the stranger right now.

The stranger laughs, shoving Wilbur’s shoulder. Wilbur thinks there might be steam coming out of his ears with how annoyed he’s getting. He shoves the stranger back harder, He stumbles backwards, smile falling from his face. It’s replaced with a grim expression. Wilbur’s seen that kind of expression before. His face pales.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“You must be Phil’s new kid, Wilbur.” The stranger eyes Wilbur up and down. “You look like what Tommy described. I’m Schlatt, your neighbor.” Schlatt extends a hand. Wilbur hesitantly shakes it. One he pulls his hand back he wipes it on his sweater. Schlatt rolls his eyes. “How old are you?”

“I’m seventeen.” It's a half lie. Wilbur will be seventeen soon, but not now. He's still sixteen. Schlatt laughs at that. The two of them are in the school hallway now, having just entered.

“I’m older than you!” He teases, reaching up to gently smack Wilbur in the back of the head. “We’re gonna be close friends, I can already feel it.” They reach a staircase and a hallway. Wilbur knows he has to go up the staircase but Schlatt continues down the hallway. “See you at lunch!”

Wilbur doesn’t like Schlatt already. He seems like a bit of an asshole. He finds it worse since he lives near that guy. At least it wasn’t the ‘Ubbo’ boy Tommy had talked about. Also, what kind of name was Schlatt? Wilbur guesses he can’t judge considering his foster brother is named Technoblade.

Wilbur walks into his first period class. He’s about ten minutes early. There are some other kids there as well. None of them seems to notice Wilbur. So, instead of socializing, he sits in the seat Mr. Lovely had assigned him the Saturday two days prior.

He’s in the back of the class closest to the windows looking out to the front of the school. He watches as students flood the doors, coming from all directions. Wilbur wonders what the busing area looks like. He realizes that he’ll see it soon; he rides the bus home since Phil can’t pick him up and he doesn’t have a car yet. He prays that Schlatt doesn’t ride the bus as well.

Wilbur’s too lost in thought to realize when someone sits down next to him. It’s a boy that’s around 5’9”. Well, that’s the height Wilbur assumes. He can’t really tell considering that Wilbur’s literally 6’5”. Anyway, the kid has dirty blond hair that looks more brown than blond. He has deep blue eyes that stare straight into Wilbur’s. Wilbur feels himself shrink under this kid’s judging gaze until he notices the Sonic the Hedgehog shirt the boy’s wearing. He realizes this kid’s probably just some nerd that Wilbur doesn’t need to worry about.

“You have a staring problem?” Wilbur says. The boy’s expression drops into a slight frown. Wilbur doesn’t understand this kid, but he likes him more than Schlatt. That’s something, at least. The kid continues staring.

“You’re British,” he comments. His voice is what Wilbur thinks to be a ‘standard American accent’. Wilbur frowns.

“Great observation.” Wilbur turns away from the kid. He looks at the clock. Nine more minutes until he has a good excuse to bail on this conversation.

“I’m Connor.”

“I don’t care.”

“What’s your name?” Wilbur doesn’t know why this kid is so interested in him. Can he not take the hint that Wilbur doesn’t want to talk?

Connor’s phone dings as he receives a text. Wilbur prays that he’ll get distracted by the device, but God apparently isn’t on his side.

“Are you Wilbur?” Connor asks curiously. Wilbur pales and looks down. He wants to laugh, but there would be no reason to. This isn’t funny. He genuinely wants to rip his hair out. He doesn’t want to talk to this kid.

“Yeah, I am. I’m ‘Phil’s new kid’.” Wilbur crosses his arms. His leg is bouncing up and down. Interacting with this Connor kid is making him unnecessarily uncomfortable.

“Schlatt’s new neighbor?” Wilbur sighs.

“Yeah, yeah.” Eight minutes. That’s how much longer Wilbur has to wait. Mr. Lovely should be back in the room in at least three minutes, so maybe he could escape the conversation by speaking with the teacher.

Connor nods and goes silent. The silence is uncomfortable, but Wilbur’s finds it better than the conversation. He wishes that Connor would sit somewhere else, but something tells him that Connor’s assigned seat it the one he’s sitting in.

Wilbur stares at the door, praying that Mr. Lovely walks in. Instead, however, two girls walk in. One has faded purple hair with brown roots and the other has pastel pink hair. They’re talking and notice Wilbur almost immediately. The one with purpled hair frowns and walks over to them, the pink haired one following. Wilbur hears Connor try get up and leave, put the purple hair girl pushes him back down in his seat.

“Who the fuck are you?” The girl’s Irish, Wilbur can tell that much. She’s also extremely aggressive. Wilbur isn’t sure how to feel about her. He tries to match her energy.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Wilbur scowls at her. She turns to Connor, who sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“This is Schlatt’s new boy toy, Wilbur.” Wilbur eyes widen as he turns to Connor.

“What the fuck did you just call me?” Connor shrugs.

“He’s joking, Wil,” says the pink haired one. She’s German. Her voice is soft. He recognizes her voice. And her face, come to think of it. He squints at her. He’s not wearing his glasses, but he knows this girl. He imagines her with blonde hair and it all fits.

“Niki?” He’s in disbelief. He hasn’t seen Niki in ages. She smiles back at him with bright eyes.

“I knew it was you!” Wilbur stands up and leans over the table to envelop her into a big hug. Wilbur, when he was around ten, lived in a home right next to where Niki and her brothers lived. He got sent back to a group home because he snuck out to hang out with Niki one too many times, but he concluded that it was worth it.

The Irish girl frowns, still confused. Connor doesn’t seem at all interested in their little reunion. The Irish lady clears her throat. Wilbur and Niki turn to look at her once more, but Wilbur glances at the clock as well. Four minutes.

“Well I’m Minx, by the way,” says the Irish lady. She seems uninterested in Wilbur now. “Niki, c’mon, let’s go sit down.” Niki shoots another smile at Wilbur before taking her seat in the front of the classroom. Minx sits next to her.

Mr. Lovely finally walks in. He begins speaking, and Wilbur already feels himself drifting off. This is going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spare comments perhaps???


	2. Chapter 2

Lunch comes too soon. Wilbur had spent two English classes with Mr. Lovely before going to band with Mrs. Cupquake. He was in his fourth period math class with Mrs. Shadow for ten minutes before the lunch bell rang. He was informed that this school had weird lunch times unlike his old school.

Wilbur walks with his head down. His hands are shoved in the front pockets of his jeans as he swerves around the kids crowding the hallway. Apparently, every grade in high school had lunch at the exact same time. At his old school, seniors at first and freshman ate last. Plus, Wilbur wasn’t used to eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning.

“Wilby! Wait up!” Wilbur groans internally as Tommy calls for him. He slows down and turns around to see Tommy walking with three other boys. One of the boys is about an inch taller than Wilbur. The other two are at least five inches shorter than Tommy. The shortest has hair dyed like Schlatt; half brown and half blond. The second shortest has a purple hoodie and a UFO necklace.

“What do you want, Tommy?” Wilbur asks. They’re walking slowly in the hallway among the other kids, but none of them other than the purple hoodie boy seem to notice. Tommy beams up at Wilbur.

“I wanted you to meet my friends!” Tommy shoves the shortest one forward. “This is Tubbo! He lives next door.”

“Is he Schlatt’s brother, by any chance?” Wilbur’s voice is more monotonous than it usually is. He knows the answer by how Tubbo smiles.

“Yeah! He’s my older br-”

“The here is Ranboo!” Tommy interrupts, pointing at Ranboo. Ranboo seems nervous, but doesn’t say anything. Wilbur recognizes him. He’s Niki’s younger brother. Ranboo must’ve been too young to remember Wilbur. “And this bitch is Purpled!” Tommy grabs onto Purpled’s shoulder and shoves him towards Wilbur. He shoots Tommy and angry look.

“What kinda name is Purpled?”

“Ask my parents. They named my brother Punz.” Wilbur holds back a laugh. 

“What’s your sister’s name? Pussy?”

“Her name’s Hannah, actually,” Purpled grumbles. “I don’t like him, Tommy,” he says too loud for it to be an accident. Wilbur snickers.

“Maybe he wouldn’t be as rude if you told him your name’s actually Grayson,” Tommy says matter-of-factly. Purpled frowns and hits Tommy in the arm.

They’re in the cafeteria now. Wilbur doesn’t know where to sit. Schlatt was meant to come get him. He says nothing to Tommy as he enters into the cafeteria, walking towards a table near the wall. He looks down again as he tries to move out of the way.

He runs into someone and falls on the floor.

“Shit, are you okay?” Someone offers a hand to Wilbur. Wilbur takes it. He dusts off his sweater before looking at the guy who ran into him. “I’m so sorry.”

The man is wearing a lime green letterman jacket with the letter ‘D’ printed on it. He’s wearing a white mask with a black smiley face on it. He has emerald green eyes and blond hair. He’s objectively very pretty. Wilbur doesn’t like him.

“It’s fine.” Wilbur turns away to get away from these people. There’s more of them now, looking at the two. One of them has the same jacket as the guy, expect it’s orange and the letter ‘S’ is printed on it instead. He walks over to the two.

“He’s British! Like George.” ‘S’ smiles happily at Wilbur. Wilbur cringes and backs away. He’s had enough social interaction for a single lifetime. ‘S’ frowns. He says something to ‘D’ before quickly turning back. “I’m Sapnap.”

“I’m Dream. What’s your name?” Dream steps towards Wilbur. Wilbur backs up even more. He doesn’t want to talk with these people.

“Wilbur! There you are!” Schlatt exclaims, clapping Wilbur on the back. Wilbur flinches and closes his eyes. “I see you’ve met the Dream Team! Well, all except for George.”

“Schlatt.” Sapnap’s voice is suddenly hostile. Schlatt’s grinning like he’s planning a murder. Wilbur’s uncomfortable again. Right now he misses when he was sitting with Connor.

“Sapnap.” Schlatt narrows his eyes. “I think it’s time we should be going.” Schlatt grabs onto Wilbur’s wrist, pulling him away before the other two can get a word in.

Wilbur isn’t sure where they’re headed, but it sure as hell isn’t the cafeteria. Schlatt leads him into the hallway, looking both ways for teachers before making his way to an exit. He pulls Wilbur outside the door with him.

“C’mon, we’re skipping. Connor, Ted, and Charlie should be out here.” Wilbur pulls his wrist out of Schlatt’s grip. There are a million things running through his mind right now. One of them is telling him to get the fuck away from Schlatt.

“What the hell? I’m not skipping. It’s only my first day!” Wilbur feels himself become angrier. He really doesn’t like this Schlatt guy. Schlatt, however, doesn’t pick up on Wilbur’s anger. He instead laughs it off.

Schlatt says nothing else. Wilbur frowns and makes his way back to the door. Schlatt grabs his wrist.

“It’ll be fun, trust me. If you don’t like it we won’t drag you along again next time.” Schlatt’s voice sounds genuine. Wilbur’s been in his fair share of situations like this. Yet, every time he seems to do the same thing.

Wilbur sighs and concedes with a nod. Schlatt drops his wrist slowly, making sure to not let Wilbur out of his sight. 

There’s music blasting from a car that’s driving towards them. The driver rolls down the window and waves at Schlatt. Wilbur doesn’t recognize him. He has glasses and jet black hair. He has a friendly smile, though. Wilbur likes him.

Schlatt drags Wilbur to the car. He gets into the passenger seat, letting Wilbur sit in the back. Connor is in the back behind Schlatt. There’s a guy in the middle that Wilbur doesn’t recognize. He has glasses as well, but he has brown hair.

“Hope you guys didn’t mind me bringing a new friend,” Schlatt says. Connor shrugs.

“It’s fine just as long as he isn’t a bitch like you, Schlatt,” says the boy next to Wilbur. He has a nice voice, Wilbur realizes. “If he’s British though, we’re gonna have a problem here.” He turns to Wilbur. “Say ‘cheeseburger’.”

“Cheeseburger,” Wilbur tries in his best American accent. It sounds more like ‘cheeseborgor’ than anything. The guy howls with laughter. Wilbur finds it infectious and giggles.

“Oh my God, you say it like TommyInnit.” The guy covers his mouth, stifling his laughter. Wilbur realizes that they’re talking about Phil’s kid, Tommy. The innit part must be making fun of the fact that he’s British.

“I guess it runs in the family, even if we aren’t actually related.” Wilbur smiles toothily. He likes this guy. He could get used to this. “I’m Wilbur, by the way.”

“Charlie Slimecicle, but you can just call me burgers.” Charlie takes Wilbur’s hand in his own and shakes it. Wilbur turns away. “Where are we going, Ted?” Charlie asks the driver. Okay. So the driver’s name is Ted. Good to know.

“Somewhere away from this shithole I guess. Where do you guys wanna go?” Ted asks. He turns around to look at them while they’re at a red light. “What about you, Wilbur? Since you’re the new guy in town and all.”

“I’d love to see Skywars Avenue. My foster brothers talk about it a lot. I hear there’s some crazy shit that goes on there.” Wilbur leans forward in his seat, realizing that he hasn’t buckled his seatbelt. Ted nods.

“Sounds good.”

“Y’know, I met my bitches at Skywars Avenue,” Schlatt starts. Connor groans, leaning back in his seat. Ted sighs and rubs his temples with one hand.

“Fucking Christ, Schlatt, stop calling Quackity and Weston your bitches,” Charlie says in exasperated protest, “and no one cares about this stupid story. You only tell it to  _ every member of the Lunch Club.” _ Wilbur knows Weston, somehow. He’s heard that name before. He thinks he has a name to match the face with.

“Quackity? Who’s Quackity? And what’s the Lunch Club?” Wilbur’s confused. Charlie turns to Wilbur again.

“Quackity is one of our friends. He’s closest with Schlatt, but we all know him. You probably won’t see him much unless you hang out with the Dream Team and their friends. The Lunch Club is a big group of us that always hang out during lunch, although only a few of us can skip at a time. There’s seven of us in total. Connor, me, Schlatt, and Ted are the only ones here right now. The others that aren’t here are Cooper, Noah, and Travis.” Wilbur nods. He knows none of the other three, but he can pretend he does.

Wilbur’s phone starts ringing. He frowns and pulls it out. It’s Technoblade. Wilbur groans, but answers anyway. The car goes silent as everyone eavesdrops on Wilbur’s conversation.

“What do you want, Technoblade?” Wilbur has a permanent frown on his face. He can tell that Techno’s frowning as well.

“Where are you?” Techno asks.

“Up your arse, have you checked there yet?” That elicits a snicker from both Schlatt and Charlie. Techno groans on the other line.

“Phil told me to check up on you durin’ lunch.”

“You don’t need to, I’m completely fine.” Wilbur crosses his legs. He hears a car honk and jumps.

“He said you might try somethin’ reckless, or whatever. Are you even at school?” Techno’s voice suddenly sounds slightly concerned. “If you’re about to do somethin’ reckless, please remember that we can get you a therapist if you need one. You don’t need to, y’know…” Techno’s voice trails off. “I heard about what happened when you were thirteen.” Wilbur’s heart stops.

“Fuck off, Techno. I don’t want to speak to you.” Wilbur hangs up, not giving Techno room to protest. Tears blur his vision, but he doesn’t let them fall. He needs to be strong. He’s not crying in front of people. He’s not going to cry.  _ He’s not going to cry. _

Someone places a hand on his shoulder. Wilbur knows it’s Charlie. The silence is deafening. Wilbur’s uncomfortable. He wipes at his eyes and looks back up.

“How long until we’re there?” Wilbur asks Ted, trying to change the subject. Ted catches on and clears his throat.

“We’re here, actually.” Ted pulls into a parking garage. Wilbur had almost forgotten that they’re in a city. He’s much more used to living in small towns. To be fair, this isn’t necessarily a big city. It just has a high population density.

Connor unbuckles his seatbelt, and Schlatt does the same. Ted makes a comment that Wilbur doesn’t quite catch. Charlie waits until they’re in a parking space before he finally unbuckles his seatbelt.

Schlatt’s the first one out of the car. He practically throws himself out of it. Connor hops out of the car, Charlie following him. Wilbur begins to open his car door, but Ted makes eye contact with him in the mirror.

“If you need anything, I’m here for you. You’re one of us now.” Ted makes it sound too serious. Wilbur gives him a gentle smile and nods. 

“Thank you. I really do mean it. I don’t need anything, though. I’m fine.” Wilbur opens his car door, steps out, and closes it again. He catches the first second of Ted’s sigh.

Ted exits not three seconds later. He claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. They all turn to him, slightly alarmed. Connor and Charlie pause their conversation.

“Alright guys, let’s go cause some fucking trouble.” Charlie and Connor give each other two handed high fives and cheer. Ted joins them. They all seemed really hyped up. Wilbur is alarmed, but smiles softly anyway. Schlatt claps him on the back. For once, Wilbur doesn’t flinch at his touch. Yeah, he’ll fit in here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am choosin to live in the better timeline where connor is apart of the lunch club instead of that one guy


	3. Chapter 3

It’s needless to say that Phil’s going to be pissed. Wilbur just got dropped off by Ted. It’s one in the morning by the time he gets home. Wilbur had put his phone on silent after the first time Phil called. He knows that Phil’s concerned, but he can’t bring himself to care. He’ll probably be gone in three weeks, anyway. What’s the point in being a good kid if you’re always sent away?

He hops onto the porch, ringing the doorbell. He wipes his smile off his face so Phil doesn’t think that he’s smug or proud about leaving. Sure, he made new friends and Phil would be happy about that, but he wouldn’t like who he’s friends  _ with. _ Schlatt lives next door, so Phil surely can’t get  _ that _ mad.

The door swings open quickly. Phil appears in the doorway. His worried expression changes into one of relief before melting into anger. He opens the door without a word and pulls at his hair while walking back inside. Wilbur feels a pang of guilt before reminding himself that Phil doesn’t care about him. He steps inside, shutting the door gently behind him.

Phil whips around to stare at Wilbur again. His eyes look bloodshot. He seems like he was crying, but Wilbur doesn’t care. It’s fake. He’s just trying to manipulate Wilbur into feeling bad for his foster father. It won’t work, though. One of his old foster parents had tried that on him. He’s learned since then. He doesn’t trust any of the Craft family.

“Where the fuck were you?” Phil’s definitely angry. “I got a call from the school saying you weren’t there, I called all of the people that I knew you know, I called  _ you _ a hundred times-” Phil cuts himself off with a frustrated groan. It looks like tears are pricking in his eyes. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”

Wilbur doesn’t respond. He isn’t sure how to. He’s made families upset before. Some of them got even more upset than Phil is right now. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Phil stares at him expectantly. Wilbur thinks he’s meant to respond.

“I’m sorry, Phil. It won’t happen again,” he lies. He knows it’ll happen again considering how persistent Schlatt was about him going this time. Phil doesn’t seem like he believes Wilbur, but doesn’t say anything.

“Have you eaten anything since breakfast?”

“Yes. I got some Chuckle Sandwiches.” Phil’s frown deepens.

“You were with the Lunch Club, weren’t you?”

“I was.”

“Stay away from those boys. They’re bad news.” Phil sighs. “Go to your room. Don’t come out for the rest of the night.” And with that, Phil leaves to sit down on the couch in the living room. Wilbur shrugs and turns on his heels back to his and Tommy’s shared room.

He doesn’t think that Tommy’s awake when he opens the door, but wide blue eyes stare straight at him. He almost screams. He clutches his chest like he’s just been given a heart attack. He stares at Tommy before realize there’s two other sets of eyes staring back at him.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Wilbur seethes quietly after closing the door. Tommy stifles a laugh.

“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be back tonight.” Tommy laughs nervously. One of the sets of eyes, who he recognizes as Tubbo’s, moves. He moves closer to Tommy to hide behind him. The purple eyes Wilbur saw have disappeared. Wilbur just assumes the eyes are closed.

“Why are Tubbo and Purpled here?”

“Why were you out so late?”

“Touche.”

“Boys!” They’re interrupted by Phil knocking loudly on the door. Wilbur yelps out of both surprise and fear. He grabs a lamp off his bedside table and holds it up as a weapon. He’s been in this situation before. He’s been on the brink of death because of a foster parent that always knocked, came in, and beat him up for something that Wilbur didn’t do. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. He would protect himself and Tommy.

Tommy gives Wilbur a weird look before turning back to the door. Phil steps in, and Wilbur backs up against the wall. Suddenly, he’s just a twelve year old kid again.

He’s feels so small now. He’s back in that dark home. He’s back with that awful single father. He was a drunk and took out his frustrations on Wilbur. Wilbur couldn’t count how many bones that had been broken while he was in that home. He remembered always stepping in to protect his four year old foster brother. 

Tommy looks like that little boy. They have the same bright blue eyes full of so much wonder and joy. Wilbur watched the emotion leave the little boy’s eyes. Even though they weren’t close, Wilbur vowed to himself that he wouldn’t let the same happen to Tommy.

Wilbur’s crying now. He doesn’t register it at first. The salty tears drip down his hot cheeks as he’s flooded with memories he’s tried so desperately to forget. They fall down from his chin and drop onto his clothes. Even though it’s water, it feels like blood as his eyes burn.

“Wilby!” Tommy’s desperate cry brings him back to reality. Wilbur looks from Tommy, to Tubbo, to Purpled, to Techno, and to Phil. He feels his chest tighten with guilt. He hadn’t meant to make anyone worry. He just did what he thought he was supposed to.

He shudders as he tries to catch up with his own breath. He feels dizzy, like he could throw up at any moment. It hurts. At this point, he’d rather just curl up and die. It would be much less painful than seeing all the eyes bore into him.

The silence is nearly deafening. Wilbur chokes back a wretched sob. He slows his breath and wipes his eyes. He gathers of the shards of his composure and tapes them together before turning to look at Phil.

“I need to um, use the restroom.” He walks awkwardly out of the room, brushing past Techno in the doorway. Techno shoots him a glance that says ‘we need to chat later’ but Wilbur can’t bring himself to care right now.

He closes the bathroom door with a sigh. He didn’t really need to use the restroom, he just needed a getaway. He sinks to the floor with a quiet sob. He pulls his knees up to his chest and covers his mouth. He doesn’t want anyone to hear him.

His social worker said that this family could stick. She said that he’d be happier here. She promised that he’d get better. Wilbur had scoffed at that. At this rate, he’s starting to think he was right for doubting it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> girl help im projectin too much-


	4. Chapter 4

Technoblade is not a light sleeper, but something climbing through his window at three in morning woke him up. He sits straight up and dangles his feet off the edge before standing as well. He grabs his baseball bat and turns to his window, but is met with a man with green eyes and a white mask. His nerves relax as he sighs. He sets his baseball bat back down and sits on his bed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Dream sits down next to him on the bed. Techno isn’t sure why his neighbor’s here, but he knows it probably isn’t a good thing. Dream pulls his mask down and gives Techno a shaky smile. If Techno had his mask on right now, he would’ve pulled it down as well. Since he doesn’t have it, though, he just frowns.

“What do you want, Dream?” Techno asks. He really doesn’t want to be bothered right now. He hasn’t slept and he has school in three hours. Dream is interrupting his beauty sleep and Techno isn’t having  _ any _ of it.

“You seem stressed out in sixth period yesterday. I meant to check up on you sooner, but I kinda got sidetracked.” Techno knows why Dream wasn’t able to come sooner. His older brother, Foolish, was working late. Schlatt, his uncle, had skipped school. Tubbo, his other uncle, had snuck out to see Tommy and Purpled. Puffy and her dad, Sparklez, would definitely notice if Dream snuck out as well.

“My new foster brother’s causin’ some issues,” Techno admits. “He skipped with Schlatt and almost broke a lamp over Dad’s head.” Techno almost smiles when Dream giggles. Almost. The situation isn’t as amusing as Dream thinks it is, but Techno’s got to hand it to himself for just being so incredibly amazing at describing the events that had transpired only a couple hours prior.

Suddenly, Dream grabs Techno’s wrist. Techno perks an eyebrow. He doesn’t shake out of Dream’s grip, but he is confused. Dream only smiles.

“C’mon, let’s go. I’ll have you home by five.” Dream stands up, pulling Techno with him. Techno barely has time to grab his mask and jacket before they reach the window. “Ladies first,” Dream jokes. Techno rolls his eyes and puts his mask and jacket on. He crawls out of his window, small pebbles getting trapped underneath his sharp fingernails. Dream follows closely behind.

They’re out of the house now. Techno stares up at the window to Phil’s room. The light’s on, but Techno knows that Phil’s asleep. He checked twenty minutes beforehand when he went upstairs to use the bathroom. Tommy was asleep as well, but Techno thinks that Wilbur’s still up doing something.

“Where are we headed?” Techno asks. Even though Dream’s mask is pulled up, Techno can just tell that he’s smiling.

“I think you know.” Dream grabs onto Techno’s wrist again and pulls him along. Soon enough, they’re running down the street towards the place that makes the two of them feel safest.

Techno doesn’t know what to think. He and Dream aren’t necessarily friends, but they aren’t enemies either. They have a mutual respect for each other. Although he knows where the place they’re going to is, he can’t remember the last time they went together. Techno comes once every week but he hasn’t seen Dream there in a few months now.

It’s not that far away from their street. There’s a line of trees in the middle of a grassy patch blocking it off from the neighborhood. Dream and Techno had found a clearing they could cross through to get to it, though. The trees did nothing except for hide them.

They’re here now, at the destination. It’s a playground meant for little kids. This is where they met. Techno remembers being invited to play tag with Dream and his friends once, but never did he think that this would be the one place he felt safe at other than his bed.

Dream laughs as he races towards the swings. Techno can’t help but smile as he runs after him. They haven’t hung out like this in a while, and Techno hates to admit that he misses it. Ever since Dream met George, he’s never really had time for Techno.

Dream grabs onto the chains of the swing as he leaps over it. The chains stop him from going too far because they’re still connected to the metal. Dream gets on the swing in midair. He giggles like a child. Techno, unlike Dream, sits on the swinging and starts pushing his feet back and forth, creating momentum that keeps him going. Soon, he’s reached Dream’s height.

“We need to do this more often!” Dream says. Techno nods. It’s peaceful out here at night. You could argue that, because the boys are eighteen and legally adults, they shouldn’t be swinging on swings meant for children, but they want to live a little. Have some fun before graduating high school.

They stay like this for a while; sitting in silence, listening to the crickets and the clinking of metal. It’s relaxing. It’s soothing Techno after the fiasco that was Wilbur. He smiles softly, pulling down his mask.

He really doesn’t need a mask, but chooses to wear it. It has a pig nose where his nose would sit and gold jewelry hot glued on. The base mask is a coral pink that doesn’t really match his bubblegum pink hair.

Techno has a gold septum piercing to match with the mask even though it isn’t visible while he’s wearing said mask. It’s alright, though. It doesn’t have to be visible. Just as long as people know it’s there.

Dream has an orange earring on one ear and blue on the other. He, Sapnap, and George had all gotten matching earrings. Sapnap has lime for Dream and blue for George. George has orange for Sapnap and lime for Dream. Techno can’t help but feel slightly jealous. Why can’t he have matching earrings with Dream?

It’s fine, though. Techno already has a matching jacket with Quackity. Quackity’s first foster parents had made them both jackets. Quackity’s was blue with the letter ‘Q’ stitched into it. Techno’s was red with the letters ‘TB’ stitched into it. In fact, that’s the jacket Techno’s wearing now. He regrets not thanking Quackity’s old foster parents, though. They were nice people. Techno always feels bad when thinking about how they died.

Dream hums quietly as he stares at the stars. Techno turns to look at him. His face is illuminated by the pale moonlight, showing off the scar that stretched from his cheek to his forehead. Techno remembers how Dream got it. He fell off a tree and got his face scratched up by a tree branch. Techno had to carry him all the way to Dream’s mother, Puffy.

Technoblade is not a light sleeper, but always wishes he is so he can experience more moments like these.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i thimk,, every three wilbur chapters ill focus on another character for a chapter,, so y'all can get insight on other characters-
> 
> also!!! techno n dream friendships pog :]


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week goes by quickly, Wilbur finds. He didn’t get himself into any more trouble and didn’t have any more episodes.

Tuesday was okay. He hung out with the Lunch Club at lunch. He met the other three members, but he’s still closest with Schlatt. After school, he managed to avoid Phil and didn’t speak to his foster family at lunch. He was able to drown Tommy out with Crywank again.

Wednesday was wonderful. He hung out with Niki and her siblings at lunch. He found that Fundy had matured much more than what he remembered. Eret was as nice as always. Ranboo warmed up to Wilbur quickly. He reminded Wilbur a lot of Charlie. Once he got home, he immediately fell asleep and no one woke him up.

Thursday wasn’t too great. He got called on in English class. He answered the question wrong and effectively embarrassed himself. Connor told him it was okay, but Wilbur didn’t believe that it was. He needs things to be perfect. At lunch, Dream had spilled his tray on Wilbur. Dream said it was an accident, but Wilbur thought differently. He ate lunch in the bathroom that day. When he came home, Phil forced him to participate in family movie night. Tommy had yelled at him for stealing his spot. Wilbur got angry and yelled back at Tommy. Phil sent him to his room after that. He got restless sleep that night.

Friday was probably the best day of the week for Wilbur. They had a few quizzes in their classes, but it was otherwise fun. In his second English period, Mr. Lovely played Kahoot with the class. Wilbur won and got a candy bar as a prize. He shared it with Niki, Minx, and Connor. During lunch, Wilbur sat with the Lunch Club again. That time, though, Quackity and Weston had joined them. Quackity and Wilbur bonded immediately. Quackity was like a more tame version of Tommy. Wilbur was sort of confused, though. Quackity had on the same jacket as Technoblade except it was blue and had the letter ‘Q’ stitched into it. After school, Phil brought him to get some milkshakes. It was a genuine gesture that Wilbur wasn’t used to. After that, he baked cookies with Technoblade and helped Tommy with his geography homework. Phil even let him hang out with Schlatt and Connor.

Today’s Saturday. Wilbur hasn’t slept since Thursday; he’s been up texting with Schlatt. The two of them went on what Fundy referred to as a ‘Spotify date’ even though Wilbur and Schlatt are just friends. They made a playlist for them to listen to together. Schlatt added a lot of Sleeping With Sirens, which Wilbur didn’t expect. Wilbur added a lot of Artic Monkeys. He thinks that Schlatt might get into their music.

He rubs his eyes and slips his headphones down to rest on his shoulders. He lets out a quiet sigh. Tommy’s fast asleep on the other side of the room. Wilbur looks at the clock on his nightstand. It reads ‘7:48’. Wilbur lets out another sigh. He takes his headphones off and sets them on his nightstand.

He lays down, resting his arm over his eyes. He’s tired, but he doesn’t want to sleep. He wants to be up early to possibly spend more time with Ph-

No.

_ No. _

That’s wrong.

Why would he want to spend time with Phil? Phil doesn’t like him. He doesn’t care about Wilbur. Pity got Wilbur into this home, and pity will probably be the reason he leaves. He and Phil don’t like each other. Period.

His phone vibrates on his chest. He grabs it, holding it over his head.

schlong: you still up?

You: M

schlong: ew go to sleep.

You: Fuck off

You: Sorry

You: I didn’t mean that

You: I’m sorry

You: Schlatt?

schlong: yo it’s cool. no need to freak out lol.

schlong: wanna sneak out?

You: Later

You: Phil will notice I’m gone

You: Ttyl

schlong: mkay.

Wilbur sets his phone back down on his bedside table. He sits up in bed and hops out, making his way towards the door. He glances back at Tommy before continuing to walk away. He shuts the door gently behind him.

Phil’s downstairs. He’s making pancakes. Chocolate chip pancakes, to be specific. Wilbur loves the smell. He smiles and walks downstairs, careful not to make any noise. He doesn’t want to alarm Phil or wake Tommy. He isn’t sure if Technoblade is awake yet, but he doesn’t want to risk finding out.

Wilbur reaches the bottom of the stairs. Phil doesn’t look up. He hums a quiet tune that Wilbur recognizes as a lullaby. Why Phil is humming a lullaby, Wilbur doesn’t know, but he isn’t going to complain. It’s a nice song. Wilbur likes it.

Phil looks up and smiles at Wilbur. “Good morning,” he greets. Wilbur merely nods at the older male. He takes a seat at the kitchen table. Phil puts the last four pancakes he made onto a plate with the other six. There’s another plate with the same amount of plain pancakes. Wilbur furrows his brows as he realizes there’s a plate of blueberry pancakes as well. Why are there so many pancakes? Why is Phil making waffles now?

Tommy comes racing down the stairs. He skips the final step, making a loud thud. Wilbur here’s Techno’s door open from downstairs. Why is everyone up this early? Why the fuck is there so much food?

Someone opens the front door. Tubbo comes racing inside. He tackles Tommy into a big hug. Tommy laughs and says something Wilbur doesn’t catch. Dream follows Tubbo, hands in his pockets. He nods at Techno. Behind Dream is a man Wilbur doesn’t recognize. He has black hair with golden streaks. He has a friendly smile. Wilbur likes him. Two people come into the kitchen after. Phil greets them with a big smile and he hugs the short woman. Schlatt’s the last one in. He’s frowning until he sees Wilbur. Schlatt goes to stand next to Wilbur and claps him on the back.

“What’re you doing here?” Wilbur asks. Schlatt only smiles.

“Weekly breakfast at the Craft’s. Quackity and his foster dad Sam should be here shortly.” Wilbur perks an eyebrow.

“Quackity’s in the system?”

“Yep,” Schlatt replies, popping the ‘p’. Wilbur nods. He wants to say something else, but Phil cuts him off by clapping his hands.

“Alright! Grab your food and go get situated outside in the lawn.” The sun’s risen by now, so it won’t be too cold. Wilbur remembers seeing a couple tables set up outside.

Techno and Dream go to get their food first. The room erupts into to talking. Tommy is the loudest, Phil almost being as loud. Wilbur doesn’t like it. He shifts uncomfortably. He watches as Techno and Dream move their conversation outside. He grabs his own plate. He gets a single blueberry pancake and a half empty glass of milk before heading outside.

He sits away from Dream and Techno. The man with jet black hair sits next to Dream. Dream wraps his arm around the man, laughing loudly. The short woman comes out and sits across from Dream. The older man sits next to the woman. Schlatt comes out and goes to sit by Wilbur, but the woman calls him over and makes him sit down at the other table. Tubbo and Tommy are on a picnic blanket next to the table. Phil comes out and sits on a folding chair at the table. Wilbur realizes he’s the only one at a different table.

Wilbur sighs. He picks at his pancake with his fork. He wanted to talk with Phil this morning, but he guesses he’ll have to wait for later. Maybe Phil’s already planning to send him back. That would make sense. It doesn’t seem like anyone wants him around. His hands are shaking now as he tries to take a bite out of his pancake.

Why is he angry about this? Why does he care if he gets sent back or not? Why should he care what Phil and his kids think about him?

Someone’s staring at him. He can feel it. There are eyes boring into him, trying to see past the mask of his own face. He’s uncomfortable and sets his fork down. He’s not hungry anymore. His face melts into a frown as he shudders out a breath.

A car pulls into the driveway. It parks and Quackity hops out of it. The man in the driver’s seat gets out as well. He’s a foot taller than Quackity, and even taller than Wilbur. He has dyed green hair and he’s wearing a Minecraft Creeper mask. He seems friendly enough. He opens the trunk of his car. A dog hops out. It’s a golden retriever. Wilbur’s face lights up.

Phil and the woman stand to go meet who Wilbur assumes to be Sam while Quackity runs over and squeezes next to Schlatt. Schlatt laughs and wraps his arm around Quackity’s shoulders. Wilbur feels sick again. Is there a reason everyone is avoiding him? Why do they all hate him now?

The dog sets its head on Wilbur’s thigh. Wilbur jumps before looking down at it - her. Wilbur grabs her collar and reads the dog tag. Her name’s Fran. Wilbur smiles. He pets her head, scratching behind her ear.

“Hi!” He says in the voice that people use when they’re talking to dogs. “Aren’t you cute?” Her tail’s wagging. She probably wants Wilbur’s food, but Wilbur likes to think that she noticed he was sad and wanted to help him feel better.

Wilbur looks back up to see Quackity staring at him. Quackity stands up and runs over to Wilbur’s table, sliding next to him.

“Hey, Wil!” Fran runs off towards Tubbo and Tommy. Wilbur frowns slightly, but he’s glad Quackity’s here. “I see you’ve met Fran.”

“Yeah! She’s really sweet.” Wilbur giggles. He really does like the dog. “You want my pancake?”

“Oh are you fucking serious? Of course I do.” Quackity pulls the plate over and scarfs down the pancake. Wilbur laughs. Quackity’s really hungry, apparently.

“Alex!” Sam calls. Quackity goes red. Wilbur nearly laughs again. Quackity’s name is Alex? “Achilles!” Sam shouts. Quackity covers his face with his beanie. Wilbur can’t contain his laughter. Quackity’s name is  _ Achilles? _

“Coming, Sam!” Quackity’s still red. He mutters a goodbye to Wilbur, leaving the older alone again. Wilbur lets out a soft sigh. Even if his family and neighbors don’t like him, at least Quackity does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quackity?? havin lines in this story?? its more likely than youd think :]


	6. Chapter 6

Wilbur didn’t know what date it was until Techno had told him. They were cleaning up breakfast trash while everyone else was running around the cul-de-sac. Purpled’s sister had dropped him off at Phil’s house not long after Sam and Quackity showed up. Four more of Tommy’s friends had shown up, but Wilbur only knew one of them; Ty. He can’t remember where he met Ty, but he definitely knows the kid.

“It’s September fourteenth.” Wilbur’s heart drops. Today’s the fourteenth? That isn’t right. It can’t be right. It’s a bad date, a bad, bad date. He almost drops the plate he’s holding. “Wil?” Techno’s concerned. Wilbur shakes his head.

“Sorry,” he says with an awkward laugh. Techno gives him a weird look before throwing his trash away. Wilbur sighs and does the same. Techno heads off to talk to Dream and Dream’s brother, who Wilbur learned was named Foolish. 

Wilbur walks over to Tommy. He’s coloring with sidewalk chalk on the road. Tubbo’s sitting next to him. Purpled is draped over one of the other kid’s lap. Two kids that Wilbur doesn’t know are drinking Capri Suns while talking with Tommy and Tubbo. Ty is laying in a tree above Tubbo. Tommy’s face lights up when he sees Wilbur.

Wilbur doesn’t know why Tommy likes him. He’s an asshole, really. Wilbur isn’t nice to Tommy. The younger has no reason to like Wilbur, and yet he still does. It perplexes Wilbur, but it’s nice.

“Wilbur! Hi!” Tommy jumps up and runs towards Wilbur. He grabs Wilbur’s wrist and pulls him over to the group of children. Wilbur doesn’t want to be around them, but if it’s what Tommy wants, so Wilbur isn’t going to argue.

“I drew a sunflower!” Tubbo exclaims. Wilbur smiles softly and ruffles the boy’s hair.

“It looks lovely.”

“Look! I drew a bell!” Tommy says, pulling Wilbur’s sleeve on his jacket. Wilbur looks at the bell. It’s messier than Tubbo’s drawing, but he likes it.

“Wonderful, Tommy.” Wilbur’s  _ trying _ to be nice. He’s trying as best as he can. Anything to distract him from today. Anything to keep his mind off it. “Who are these other kids?”

“I’m Grunk!” Says one of the kids drinking a Capri Sun. He looks young. Grunk must’ve read his expression. “I’m twelve, by the way. Your resident seventh grader.” Grunk’s wearing a mask over his face with his name on it.

“I’m Boffy.” The boy sitting next to Grunk, Boffy, has a mask like Dream’s except the smiley face is much messier. “If you were wondering, I just turned fourteen.” So he’s an eighth grader. Also in middle school. Why is Tommy friends with so many people younger than him? I mean, sure, Quackity’s fifteen, but at least he’s in Wilbur’s grade.

“I’m sixteen!” Ty says, falling out of the tree. He narrowly avoids hitting Tubbo and just lands in grass. “Oh, and my name’s Ty.” Purpled laughs softly.

“I’m also sixteen,” the boy with Purpled sprawled on his lap says. “Except I’m a grade above Ty. I’m Quig.” Does that mean that Quig’s in Wilbur’s grade? Wilbur shutters just thinking about it. For now, he’ll just ignore it and pray.

Wilbur notices a guitar resting against the tree Ty fell out of. He moves towards it and picks it up before sitting down on the sidewalk. Tommy looks at him curiously as Wilbur proceeds to tune it.

Then, he starts to play.

It’s a simple melody at first, nothing too specific. He doesn’t have a specific song in mind as he continues his plucking pattern. He accidentally plucks the wrong string and laughs slightly. He finally has an idea for a song,

He plays a simple plucking pattern. He only hears the wind now, meaning that everyone’s stopped talking to listen. Wilbur brushes it off. It’s fine. It’s  _ completely _ fine. Just playing one of your songs in front of at least ten people, nothing to worry about.

_ “Wasting your time,” _ Wilbur sings. He’s trying his best to steady his voice.  _ “Wasting mine.” _ He just has to focus on the song. Not the people surrounding him, the song.  _ “I hate to see you leaving. A fate worse than dying.” _ Wilbur likes this song. He wrote it when he was fifteen and has been revising it since, but he likes how it is now.

_ “Your city gave me asthma,” _ Wilbur continues. It’s the title of the album he’s written but never sang in front of people before. Well, he sang it to a cat once, if that counts.  _ “That’s why I’m fucking leaving.” _ Wilbur’s voice is slowly getting shakier and shakier.  _ “Your water gave me cancer; the pavement hurt my feelings.” _ Tubbo snickers at the way Wilbur sings the last line.

_ “Shout at the wall.” _ Wilbur likes this part a lot. He closes his eyes, focusing completely on his own voice.  _ “Because the walls don’t fucking love you.” _ Wilbur waits a second before repeating both phrases.

He stops himself before he gets to the last part. He knows how concerning it sounds and he doesn’t want people questioning him. He abruptly presses his hand against the strings, stopping the sound from resonating. He opens his eyes and looks at the kids around him. Schlatt and Quackity are staring from not far away. Phil and the other three adults are looking, too. Technoblade, Dream, and Foolish are the only ones not looking.

Wilbur turns red and sets the guitar down. He clears his throat and stands up. Everyone’s still staring. The only one smiling is Tommy. Concern is etched into Phil’s face. Wilbur awkwardly walks off back towards the house.

He can already tell today is going to be much, much worse than yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i realized that givin tommy just three close friends didnt seem right so i added some more minors to the story :]


	7. Chapter 7

Wilbur didn’t realize he fell asleep until Technoblade shakes him awake. Wilbur falls to the floor, landing with a thump. Tommy lets out a loud laugh and doubles over. Wilbur frowns. Even Techno’s smiling. He picks himself up and dusts his clothes off, glaring daggers at Techno.

He trudges into his and Tommy’s shared bedroom and snatches his phone off his bedside table. He can only assume that everyone’s left by now considering he’s been asleep for five fucking hours. He groans and rubs his temples.

Schlatt’s added him to a group chat while he was asleep. It’s titled ‘gays and theys lmao’. Wilbur sighs. He doesn’t have time to read the messages, but he recognizes who’s in the group chat. The Lunch Club, Quackity, Weston, Minx, Niki, and a girl named Kalynn that Wilbur doesn’t know.

Minx is typing now. The last message was from Weston calling Minx a bitch. Wilbur laughed just thinking about what she would say if she were here right now. She’d go absolutely ballistic.

mincks: oh u think ur so fucking funny huh? ur an asshole that i could squash into a million tiny pieces you little bitch. im taller than u bitch boy and i wont hesitate to use that advantage

west: omg are you going to peg me

You: What the fuck did I just stumble into

shcaltt: WILBUR!

You: Schlatt

burgers: everyone stfu i’m trying to celebrate amy winehouse’s birthday

You: You care about Amy Winehouse’s birthday more than mine, Charlie? I can’t believe this. I feel betrayed

Wilbur immediately regrets sending the message. It’s his birthday today. He’s seventeen now. Almost an adult.

He doesn’t like his birthday. His last good birthday was when he was five years old, back when his biological parents were still able to provide for him. He was sent away a day later. He can’t really blame them for getting rid of him; they couldn’t afford to provide for a kid. Yet, he can’t help but feel betrayed. He never wants to see their faces again.

His phone explodes in messages about his birthday, so he has to turn it off. He can’t handle the overwhelming feeling. He sits down on his bed, silences his phone, and lays down with a heavy sigh.

Tommy and Techno probably don’t know today’s Wilbur’s birthday, but Wilbur knows for a fact that Phil does. Wilbur’s said many times before to his social worker that he does not want anyone to talk about his birthday and he’s sure she relayed that message to Phil, but he does wish he would get a small happy birthday from him. Hell, an offhand comment would suffice. Just to know that Phil will acknowledge it.

Speaking of Phil. . .

Phil’s son walks into the room. Well, one of them, anyway. The obnoxious one. Wilbur rolls his eyes and turns on his side away from Tommy. Tommy doesn’t take the hint. He plops down on Wilbur’s bed and lets out a dramatic sigh. Wilbur grabs one of his pillows and throws it at Tommy. It hits the blond in the face.

_ “Phil!” _ Tommy shouts, drawing out the ‘i’. “Wilbur’s abusing me!” Wilbur rolls his eyes. He grabs another pillow and puts it over his visible ear. He digs his head further into the pillow to try and block out the noises.

Tommy then moves to lay on top of Wilbur. Wilbur feels like he’s about to lose his fucking mind. What the hell is this kid trying to do? Be as annoying as possible, apparently.

Wilbur hears the floor creak as Phil walks into the room. Wilbur moves his pillow and cranes his neck to glance at Phil. Phil’s wearing a stern expression, clearly trying to hold back a smile. Wilbur sees him take his phone out.

“You are  _ not _ taking a picture of this,” Wilbur says at the same time Phil takes a picture. Phil chuckles and almost doubles over looking at the picture. Wilbur frowns, but a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

Phil leaves the room then, saying something to Tommy that Wilbur doesn’t care enough to listen to. Tommy shifts slightly, and Wilbur pushes him off of his stomach. He lets out a breath of relief as Tommy falls off the bed in an effort to seem more dramatic.

Tommy shrieks and slaps Wilbur’s foot playfully. He pounces back on the bed and begins to tickle Wilbur. Wilbur’s eyes widen as Tommy presses down on a spot in his abdomen. He lets out a pained cry and shoves Tommy away harshly. 

“What the fuck, man?” Tommy lets out a hiss of a groan afterward. Wilbur didn’t realize how hard he’d shoved Tommy against the wall. His eyes are more confused than angry, but Wilbur still sees his rage. He doesn’t want to feel bad. Tommy looks like the little boy, sure, but they aren’t the same person. Tommy doesn’t care about him. Tommy cares about himself. He doesn’t give a shit about Wilbur and likely never will.

“Don’t-” Wilbur breathes deeply, trying to catch up with himself, “don’t touch me there.” Wilbur’s clutching that part of his abdomen. It bleeding, he knows it. The wound is fresh and the stitches aren’t strong against a finger poking through them.

His sweater’s turning crimson, as well as his fingers. It’s nothing fatal. He won’t die from it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, though.

Tommy’s eyes wander to the wound. He opens his mouth to presumably shout, but Wilbur’s quicker. He launches himself towards Tommy and covers the younger’s mouth.

“Don’t tell anyone, please. I’m okay.” Tommy pries Wilbur’s hand off his mouth. “It was an accident. I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”

“What the hell did you do?” Wilbur bites his bottom lip and looks down.

“Last Tuesday night, I snuck out to see Connor. I got shanked in an alleyway.” Tommy grimaces. “The wound’s been healing fine, but this is a bit of a setback.” Wilbur stands up, hunched over slightly. “I’m going to fix it. Don’t tell Phil, please.” His tone is begging. He doesn’t think he can handle being yelled at by Phil.

The wound hasn’t hurt this much since Connor drove Wilbur to go see the Misferns. Niki had stitched up the wound with some assistance from her twin, Eret. Niki gave him simple procedures to follow every night until she can take the stitches out to help the wound heal properly. He prayed that something like this wouldn’t happen.

“I’ll be back,” Wilbur says before grabbing a new sweater and walking towards the bathroom.

Unbeknownst to Wilbur, Tommy stands up as well. He slides a box out from under his bed. Inside, there’s a painting and some sheet music. Tommy sighs and holds the items in his hands. “Such a stubborn prick.” Tommy can’t help but smile softly thinking about his brother. “Happy birthday, Wilby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> help girl ive become attached to this au KLJFDJLKFS
> 
> i already have three more chapters after this written 🤠
> 
> also!!! tommy n wilbur brothers pog :]


	8. Chapter 8

It’s needless to say that Tommy’s concerned. It’s been two hours since Wilbur came out of the bathroom. Phil immediately called the boys down for a game night. Wilbur was still hunched over. He looks the same height as Techno and Tommy when he’s slouching. Tommy doesn’t know how to feel about it.

Tommy doesn’t understand Wilbur. One minute, they’re acting like brothers; the next, Wilbur seems like he wants to tear Tommy’s throat out. Tommy just wants to understand his foster brother, maybe even help him. He’d do anything for the people he cares about.

The family’s playing Clue. Techno chose the game since Phil chose last time. Wilbur gets to choose next time, and then it’ll be Tommy’s turn.

Tommy’s playing as Miss Scarlet. Wilbur is Colonel Mustard. Phil’s Mrs. White. Techno’s Mrs. Peacock. Currently, Tommy has a suspect and a weapon; he’s still trying to figure out a room. Wilbur seems out of it as he moves to the garage.

“I think it was Professor Plum in the garage with the lead pipe,” Wilbur says while dragging the lead pipe and the purple character into the garage. He sits and waits to be shown a card, but he isn't. Tommy slumps in his seat as he realizes Wilbur may have just won.

Wilbur opens the package with the three cards and reads them aloud. “Professor Plum, lead pipe, and…the kitchen?” Wilbur sets the cards down near the cards set out in the beginning of the game. Then it hits Tommy. Wilbur forgot to mark down the garage. It was one of the first cards pulled.

Wilbur puts his head in his hands as Techno flips the board. Phil laughs and rests his hand on Wilbur’s shoulder. Tommy isn’t sure what to think. Wilbur seems…off. There’s something going on behind those eyes and Tommy can’t tell what it is.

He’s on autopilot as he helps Techno clean up the pieces. Phil asks Wilbur a question, but it doesn’t seem like Wilbur registers it. Tommy purses his lips and stands up.

“I think he’s worn out. Had a fun birthday, eh?” Tommy tries. Wilbur flinches at the mention of his birthday. Tommy wishes he didn’t mention it. His face falls slightly. He sighs and grabs onto Wilbur’s hand, lifting him up. “We’re going to bed. G’night!” Tommy’s off before they can respond.

Wilbur doesn’t say anything. He only collapses onto his bed and curls in on himself. It’s a sad sight, but at least he’s not being an asshole. Tommy throws his blanket on top of Wilbur since Wilbur left his downstairs.

Tommy pulls his phone out of his pocket. He’s got a bunch of texts from a lot of different people. He decides he should respond before he forgets.

_toob: meet me adn prurpeld at the brigede by midnihgyt!! ranboo culdo be cumning as well!!!_

_You: Okay Tubbster_

_pup: i need you to redye my hair_

_pup: also btw is my name still pup in your phone_

_pup: if so_

_pup: fucking change it_

_You: I’ll redye your hair later tonight_

_You: Also make me bitch_

_buff: gn!! ily :)_

_You: Sweet dreams boffy_

_QQQQQ: sam says that your tutoring session tomorrow is cancelled </3 _

_QQQQQ: also please tell your asshole neighbor dream to text me back_

_You: No <3 _

_dio: Go to sleep early tonight please_

_dio: I mean it_

_dio: God knows you need the rest_

Tommy doesn’t respond to Deo’s messages, so he simply leaves his friend on read. Deo will definitely get pissed but Tommy doesn’t care. He’s got a plan for tonight and he’ll follow through with them even if it kills him.

He grabs his backpack out from under his bed. It’s got a few things in it like a baseball bat, pepper spray, some food, and a bunch of water bottles. He shoves a couple hoodies in it just in case he ‘accidentally’ shoves Tubbo and/or Purpled into water.

He goes to the bathroom and grabs the purple hair dye he’s been hiding in the cabinet. Phil hasn’t noticed it yet, somehow. Tommy’s been using it to dye Purpled’s tips for a while. Tommy still doesn’t know why Purpled doesn’t keep it in his own home.

Slipping on his shoes, Tommy slings his backpack on his shoulders and opens the window by his bed. He climbs onto the roof, cracking the window behind him. He slides down the roof, almost falling into the bushes below him. He hops down, hurting his legs slightly. He takes one glance at his house before running into the night.

The bridge isn’t far away. Tommy can get there in less than five minutes. Tubbo and Purpled are probably already there. Tubbo’s light in his room is off. Purpled never sleeps to Tommy’s knowledge.

He’s at the bridge now. As assumed, it only took him around five minutes. Tubbo and Purpled are leaning against the railing, talking. Purpled’s shivering. Tommy sighs and sets down his bag. He grabs his red and white animal crossing hoodie and tosses it at Purpled. It falls right in front of him because the other two boys didn’t notice Tommy.

“Tommy!” Tubbo cries, throwing himself at his best friend. Tommy embraces the shorter tightly. God, did he miss this. It’s been awhile since just Tommy and Tubbo hung out together. Sure, Purpled’s here, but Tommy knows that he’ll probably ditch the two of them in about an hour. Tommy feels sort of bad looking forward to it.

Tommy releases Tubbo. He simply nods at Purpled before leaning against the railing as well. Purpled puts the hoodie on.

“Where we headed, boys?” Tommy rests his elbow on Purpled’s shoulder. Purpled shoves Tommy’s elbow away, so Tommy rests his elbow on Tubbo’s head instead. Tubbo sighs.

“We could go hang out in town,” Tubbo suggests. “There’ll be a lot of people so we couldn’t get kidnapped. We’ll just have to avoid Skywars Avenue and Bedwars Street.” Purpled pouts and sighs. Tommy rolls his eyes at his friend’s reaction.

“Sounds good, big man. Will the boob be joining us?” Tommy hops off the ledge he didn’t realize he was standing on. 

“Fundy said he passed out as soon as he got home this morning, so I assume he won’t be,” Tubbo replies. Tommy nods and links his arm with Tubbo’s. The three of them are walking towards the city now. They can see the bright lights coming from it. Server has always been an amazing city, but Tommy thinks it looks better at night.

Tommy’s never left Server; all of his families lived here. Phil lives farther away from the city unlike his other families, though. He likes it.

“I wish one of us could drive,” Purpled mutters.

“What, your legs hurt already, big man?” Tommy teases, ruffling Purpled’s hair. Purpled swipes at Tommy’s hand.

"It’s the middle of the night and I’m cold.”

"It's six."

"Shut up." Purpled crosses his arms over his chest and looks down. Tommy smiles.

Tonight’s going to be a good night, Tommy realizes. As long as he’s with his friends, any night’s a good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tommy chapter!!! :D


	9. Chapter 9

Wilbur wakes up to his phone ringing. He groans and stretches, keeping his eyes closed to block the sunlight. He rolls over on his bed, facing away from his window. He grabs his phone, not looking at the caller ID, and answers.

“-ou! Little bitch.” It’s Quackity’s voice. He’s in a call with multiple people. It’s a Facetime call, he realizes. Wilbur rubs his eyes. He sees that it’s eight in the morning. Tommy isn’t in his bed, but Wilbur isn’t worried about that right now.

“Hello,” Wilbur greets. Quackity’s eyes light up. Connor smiles softly. Minx has a neutral expression, but Wilbur knows he’s loved. Weston seems slightly uninterested.

“You sound so hot when you’re sleepy,” Connor jokes monotonously. Wilbur rolls his eyes, but feels a blush form on his face. He tilts his camera upwards at the ceiling to hide his flushed face. He hears Weston, Minx, and Quackity howl with laughter. It makes him blush even more.

“Shut up,” Wilbur says, voice slightly muffled by the blanket he’s choosing to hide his face with. This time, Connor laughs as well. Wilbur can’t help but smile.

Then, he hears something hitting the window on Tommy’s side. Wilbur’s eyes widen in panic. He scrambles to the corner of his bed farthest away from the window.

“You okay, Wil?” Quackity asks.

“Something’s hitting Tommy’s window.” Wilbur runs his fingers through his curls anxiously.

“Is Tommy in the room?”

“No.”

“Then it’s probably him. You should go check it out.” Quackity seems too nonchalant for this situation. Wilbur sighs and concedes, though. He jumps off his bed, quietly landing on the floor. He leaves his phone on the bed. He reaches over Tommy’s bed to open the window.

Tommy rolls through it. He looks like shit. Wilbur backs away, letting Tommy sprawl out on the bed. He has a big smile on his face, though he’s breathing quite heavily. Wilbur’s very visibly concerned.

“Gotta go, bye!” Wilbur hangs up the Facetime call. He turns back to Tommy with a stern look. “What the fuck were you doing?” Tommy sits up. He has mud all over him, and his clothes are sticking to his skin. His hair looks like a bird’s nest. He’s got new scratches all over his arms, legs, and face. His hands are stained purple for some reason. And yet, he can’t seem to wipe that smile off his face.

“I went out with Tubbo and Purpled,” he says with a laugh. “That was the best night of my life.” Tommy flops back onto the bed. Wilbur puts his hands on his hips. “Please don’t tell Dad. He’ll kill me.”

“I won’t tell Phil on two conditions.” Tommy perks up at that. “Go take a fucking shower and wash your clothes. You smell like dogshit.” Wilbur’s soft smile tells Tommy that he isn’t really upset.

Tommy stands up wordlessly. He grabs his pyjamas and wanders off to the bathroom. Wilbur sits back down on his bed, resting his head in his hands.

He has absolutely no reason to be nice to this kid. Tommy’s loud and obnoxious and annoying. If anything, he should like Techno more. Techno’s the complete opposite of Tommy. Yet, Wilbur feels drawn to protect the kid.

He tells himself that he doesn’t have a savior complex. He doesn’t want to save anyone. He just cares, okay? Is he not allowed to want to protect this kid? 

Wilbur balls his fingers into a fist before letting out a deep breath. He unclenches his fists, ignoring the little half moon letting out a little bit of blood. It’s fine.

Everything is okay.

“Tommy in the shower?” Wilbur jumps at the sound of Technoblade’s voice. Techno’s standing in the doorway awkwardly, peering in. Wilbur nods.

“Snuck out last night,” Wilbur says briefly. Techno nods in understanding. He stays in the doorway, awkward silence filling the room. Wilbur shifts uncomfortably. “You can sit down, y’know.” Techno nods and shuffles into the room. He sits next to Wilbur on the bed.

The two of them simply stare forward at the wall in front of the bed. Tommy’s side of the room is a mess. Clothes are strewn across the bed, the comforter is on the floor, and the closet is a mess. The white closet door is covered in crayon, presumably from when Tommy was much younger.

Wilbur side of the room is much neater. Everything is put away in a specific order and his clothes are folded and in the closet. There’s no crayon on his walls or closet. There’s not a specific scent that comes from the side. There’s nothing to imply that Wilbur’s here to stay. Once he’s eventually gone, it’ll look like no one’s ever been here at all.

Technoblade seems so…peaceful. It’s a nice break from Tommy. Wilbur decides to take his chance and rests his head on Techno’s shoulder. Techno seems surprised. If this were a cartoon, Wilbur thinks, Techno would definitely be sweating.

“This used to be, uh, my room,” Techno starts randomly. Wilbur hums in response. “That crayon on Tommy’s closet door? That was me. Dad tried his best to wash it off, but he never could.” Techno chuckles lightly. Wilbur’s very surprised, to say the least.

“I would’ve expected it from Tommy, but you? I barely know you and even I feel betrayed!” Wilbur jokes. Techno rolls his eyes, but Wilbur catches Techno’s smile. He needs to hang out with Techno more. There aren’t many moments like these.

Suddenly, Wilbur hears the water in the bathroom stop. Tommy’s finished his shower. Wilbur lifts his head off Techno’s shoulder, anticipating Tommy walking in. And he does.

He has his dirty clothes in his hand and he’s wearing his pyjamas now. Tommy tosses the clothes in his hamper and jumps onto his bed. Wilbur smiles slightly. Techno seemingly has no reaction to it.

“I’m tuckered out, boys.” Wilbur’s smile turns into a slight frown, yet he doesn’t realize it. “Is the creator of Minecraft awake yet?” Tommy asks. It’s followed by a yawn. 

“Not yet,” Techno answers before Wilbur can. Tommy nods. He shifts so his head is resting on his pillow. His blanket is covering his entire body except for his face. He seems tired. Wilbur sighs.

“Get some rest, Toms.” Wilbur stands up and stretches, ignoring Tommy’s cheered expression.

“Did you just call me Toms, Wilby?”

“Shut up and get some sleep, gremlin child.

“Alright, dirty crime boy.”


End file.
